Trinity Lutheran’s Bailey Tabeling, left, and Columbus East’s Saige Stahl played in the Hoosier Gym Classic All-Star Game.
Submitted photo
A couple of weeks ago, two players who grew up in Jackson County that are no strangers to playing against one another found themselves in that scenario again.
In the Hoosier Gym Classic All-Star Game held in the historic Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, on one side of the court, it was Trinity Lutheran’s Bailey Tabeling, and on the other side, it was Columbus East’s Saige Stahl.
Tabeling and Stahl both grew up in Seymour with Tabeling playing ball at St. Ambrose Catholic School and Stahl playing at Immanuel Lutheran School.
“I played against a bunch of the girls in the area like Bailey, and we were always rivals when we played each other in basketball,” Stahl said. “Just growing up here in Jackson County playing ball, it has definitely made me who I am and built the love I have for basketball.”
In the Hoosier Gym Classic, Tabeling played on the Terhune team, and Stahl played for the Hickory team.
Tabeling’s team was able to get the win in a high-scoring affair 113-102.
“It was so much fun,” Tabeling said. “You’re going and playing with some of the best in Indiana. It was fun just being able to hang out with some girls you’ve never really met before. It was a great experience.”
Everyone who played in the game got to sign a ball that will be left as a piece of memorabilia inside the gym.
“It was definitely an awesome experience,” Stahl said. “That was my first time being at the Hoosier Gym, so it was cool seeing everything that they had from the movie in the gym.”
Stahl also will be playing in the Indiana All-Star game in June. She got the call that she would be named an Indiana All-Star when she was in an airport, and it was a call she was waiting for.
“It was definitely a memorable moment,” she said.
Despite going to play basketball at Columbus East, Stahl still lived in Seymour and has a lot of connections to the city.
This past season, Stahl volunteered with Special Olympics Indiana Jackson County.
“I decided to volunteer with Jackson County Special Olympics for my senior project,” she said. “I was able to coach them and go to tournaments with them, so it was awesome to be able to help them learn new basketball skills and just be a part of that season that they had.”
Both Tabeling and Stahl had stellar basketball careers at their respective high schools, and although they didn’t see each other as much as they got older, their friendship still remained.
The two players have a lot of admiration for the other while still keeping that competitive edge.
“Me and Saige have been friends for a while,” Tabeling said. “We played softball together for a while, too. We are friends, but we are enemies on the court, and that’s just how it works. Saige is a great person. I wish her the best of luck when she gets to college.”
“It was awesome,” Stahl said. “We’ve become friends over the years and always see each other at these types of events. It’s nice to know someone at these events. It’s definitely a warm welcome and always fun to play against her.”
Both Tabeling and Stahl will be playing Division I basketball next year. Tabeling will be playing at Ohio University, and Stahl will be playing at Indiana State.
“I’m super excited,” Stahl said. “I leave in July, and we start workouts. It’s the next phase of my life, and I’m excited to get it started and just get better.”
